Vegetarian Fast Food

When I talk about fast food, I ain't talkin' about Burger King. I want it now, I want it to taste good, and I want it to feed my spirit as well as my body. So, in my search I have discovered some gems I think are worth sharing.

Brown rice is a Vegetarian staple. A really great thing to do is cook enough brown rice to last for the week. Then just put it in the fridge and take out what you need each day. The trouble with that idea is that I can be away from home, forget to put the rice cooker on, or otherwise not have the time or energy to just do it. So I find myself at dinner time with about twenty minutes to invest in preparing a meal and no brown rice. I have used the instant stuff, but while it tastes good and is supposedly still whole grain, it is not attractive in a full-of-prana kind of way. I keep a box in the cupboard, but don't use it very often.

Another important vegetarian food is beans. Brown rice and beans are important nutritionally as well as being substantial and filling, but beans are another food that require forethought. If I have remembered to cook the rice, or have just enough time for it, but not enough for the beans, I will use canned beans. In fact, I keep a supply of them in my cupboard for making quick sandwich spreads, soups, or other dishes.

I recently found a product from Eden Foods that is helpful. It is a canned brown rice and beans. They have several combinations of Lundberg brown rice and beans, including Pinto, Lentil, Kidney, and Garbanzo. One of them is a bit spicey, but the others I tried have no noticeable seasoning. You can season to match the rest of your meal. Make quick meals to take to work as well.

Last night I opened a can of Pinto beans and rice and stir fried some asparagus and onion to serve with it. Yum! Less time preparing means I can eat a relaxed meal and have time to digest before bed.